ReportAlopecia areata: A long term follow-up study of 191 patients
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Patient population
One hundred ninety-one subjects with AA were enrolled in this study, 87 male and 104 female subjects. The age range of the patients was 2 to 69 years (mean 29.2 years), including 152 adults (>14 years old) and 39 children (14 years old). All presented as new consultations between 1983 and 1990 (mean follow-up 17.74 years). Duration of AA at time of first consultation was less than 2 years (mean 17 months) in all patients. The extent of AA at the time of first consultation was evaluated in
Results
Among 60 patients with S1 disease, 41 were free of disease, 13 maintained S1 disease, and 6 worsened. Among 68 patients with S2 disease, 22 were free of disease, 21 maintained S2 disease, and 25 worsened. Among 11 patients with S3 disease, 5 developed AT and 2 AU. Similarly, 7 of 14 patients with S4 disease worsened (5 developing AT and 2 AU). Among the 11 patients with AT, 5 still had AT and one developed AU. Interestingly, among the 27 patients with AU, 23 maintained their disease, while 2
Discussion
AA is an unpredictable disease for which treatment has minimal impact on long-term prognosis. There are few data about the long-term outcome of AA. Most studies using therapeutics have a 1- or 2-year follow-up period after discontinuance of therapy. This present study showed a direct relationship between severity of AA and long-term prognosis. In adults the more severe the disease is at onset, the more severe the prognosis. Severity of AA at onset of treatment is perhaps the most important
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Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None identified.
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